Friday, February 29, 2008

The Fresno State Bulldogs will play host to the New Mexico State Aggies Saturday night, and will follow that by traveling to Logan to face the Utah State Aggies Monday night. NMSU comes in with a 16-12 overall record (9-3 WAC). The Bulldogs now have a 13-15 overall record (5-8 WAC). This will be a very difficult matchup as has been over the past 3 seasons for the Dogs due to NMSUs size advantage inside. The Aggies are the most talented WAC team right now.

NMSU entering:

The Aggies dropped Thursday nights game in Reno versus Nevada 88-75, but their last victory came in the Bracketbusters over Long Beach State, an 80-48 drubbing of the 49ers. The Aggies played 12 players, all played 30 minutes or less. This is a great asset this late in the season to be able to rest players and not be forced to play key players 40 minutes a night.

Freshman Herb Pope led the way with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Justin Hawkins added 13 points and 10 rebounds while Wendell McKines had 10 points and 8 boards including 5 offensive.

The Bulldogs are coming in with the confidence of 2 straight victories, their first since Dec 20th and 22nd. They beat Hawaii after overcoming a 2nd half deficit and had timely free throw shooting, then they were able to defeat Cal Poly Saturday in the Bracketbusters 76-70. Eddie Miller finished with 25 points on 6 three pointers. His biggest was a 30 footer with the shot clock winding with 2:28 remaining that broke a tie and put the Dogs up for good.

The heartbeat of the Dogs Kevin Bell had 19 points and 9 assists, Bell has been playing well of late. Tyson Parker added 8 off the bench and provided some valuable slashing and penetrating into the Poly zone. Dwight O’Neil added 15, but looked fatigued and bothered by his wrist during a subpar 2nd half. Hector Hernandez continues to have issues and was not able to score a point in 37 minutes of play.

This is a tough matchup for the Dogs. They have had plenty of rest while NMSU played Thursday and was beat easily by Nevada. Will the Aggies come in a bit down or hungry to bounce back? That will be the key to FSUs chances along with Bell and Miller combining for a minimum of 40.

In the end, too many offensive boards for NMSU, they turn it over 17 times and the Dogs keep it close, but the Aggies win this one 75-71.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Fresno State Bulldogs returned home for a Wednesday night matchup versus the Hawaii Warriors. This will finish the season series for the two teams, the first was in Hawaii where the Dogs dropped the contest 75-62. The Warriors come in winning 6 of their last 8 and are playing their best Basketball of the season right now after starting the season 4-9.

The Dogs entering:

The Bulldogs limp home after a road loss in Boise at the hands of the Broncos 84-72. Kevin Bell had 21 points and Eddie Miller had 16. The Bulldogs were plagued by 16 turnovers and were unable to defend the inside presence of Reggie Larry and Matt Nelson.

The Broncos shot 53.8% from the field and dominated in the paint. BSU had frequent easy buckets and were not challenged around the rim. FSU was able to cut the lead late in the 2nd half but it was too little to late as they were again overpowered and unable to get the necessary stops.

Kevin Bell continues to lead the way with his 17.7 points and 6 assists per game. He has been turnover plagued over the last few games as opposing defenses have collapsed on his penetration and keyed to stopping him every possession. Eddie Miller has made 91 threes to this point and is looking to climb the WAC record books in this category. He is averaging 15 points per contest.

Hawaii coming in:

The Warriors enter after a big home victory versus Utah State and continue on their recent tear. They rode an extremely balanced attack on the way to victory with 5 players in double figure scoring, led by Matt Gibson’s and Riley Luettgerodt’s 16 each. They also combined for 8 assists and 9 steals. The Warriors were able to force USU into 20 turnovers.

This is a pivotal game for the Dogs and one that may be their last chance to lay the foundation and build the confidence necessary to make a run in the WAC tournament. A loss here could be the final setback that does the Dogs in.

FSU must come out with energy, especially on the defensive end. Defending he flex cuts of the Warriors will be the key to holding their own tonight. Eddie Miller will need to be on, and Kevin Bell will need to be his rock solid self and put his last 2 games in the past.

MBs take:

I don’t like Matt Gibson, the guy is an asshole. That’s my first take. My second is that he is this WAC generations version of Chris Herren.

The Dogs will find a way because they are at home. Miller and Bell will lead the way with 40 combined. The crowd will not respond well to the Hawaii players acting out and jawing with them. It should b a good time.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

The Fresno State Bulldogs will have to dig deep and bring maximum effort to the table Saturday night as they take on the Boise State Broncos. This will be a very difficult game for the Dogs to compete and win, the biggest factor will be how quickly the Dogs can get over their loss Thursday night to Idaho.

The Broncos coming in:

The Broncos last outing was a big win over perennial WAC force Nevada 77-68. Reggie Larry scored 20 and Matt Nelson added 19. The Broncos, already leading the nation in Field Goal Percentage, shot a blistering 62% from the field en route to a big victory. Matt Bauscher had a career high 10 rebounds to go with his 7 points and 2 steals. The big key was the Broncos quick start in which they got out to an 11-0 start.

The Broncos frustrated the Wolfpack and held them to 36% shooting, well below Nevada’s average coming in. It was a big win for the Broncos and will cause the visiting Dogs more issues because they have gained confidence from the win.

The Bulldogs coming in:

FresnoState stumbles into Boise after a deflating and confidence breaking overtime loss to the Idaho Vandals.The Bulldogs built a 19 point first half lead and were cruising, unfortunately they surrendered 9 points of their lead with lackluster play and only led by 10 at the break. Although a nice lead, allowing the Vandals back in it gave them confidence in the fact they could play with the Dogs on that night.

Dwight O’Neil finished with 18 points which was his best output of the year in only his 3rd game back from his wrist injury. He scored his 18 on 7-10 from the field which is very surprising considering how out of shape he is at this point. Hector Hernandez had a career high 14 rebounds, but he could not find his way offensively and finished with 5 points. Eddie Miller added 13 while flu-ridden and Alex Blair a season high 12, but the real story was the Vandals Jordan Brooks scoring 25 and grabbing 16 rebounds.

What to look for:

Is a lackluster effort in the cards for the Dogs? Boise will get out to a quick start at home and if that isn’t minimized the Dogs will be in big trouble it would seem. Kevin Bell will need a big bounce back game from what was his worst outing of the year at Idaho.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Fresno State Bulldogs will play the Idaho Vandals at the Cowan Spectrum Thursday at 7pm. The Bulldogs come in with an 11-13 record (4-6 WAC), while the Vandals hold a 5-17 overall record (2-9 WAC). Neither team has fared well on the road, the Vandals are winless at 0-12, and the Bulldogs haven’t fared much better at 2-8.

The Vandals entering:

Idaho returns home after a tough road loss at previously winless in WAC play Louisiana Tech 72-64. With Jordan Brooks in foul trouble, the Vandals struggled to replace his scoring and he finished with 9 points and 13 rebounds.

Terrence Simmons had 12 points and 6 assists while Michael Crowell added 13 points and 6 rebounds while playing the whole 40 minutes.

Idaho dropped the road game versus La Tech due to an inability to take care of the ball. The Vandals finished with an unacceptable 27 turnovers in Ruston. They also put Tech on the line 41 times and brought the game with a grinding halt with the multitude of fouls.

The Bulldogs entering:

The Dogs have dropped 3 of their last 4 games, the latest a tough home loss to conference leading Utah State 77-72. The Dogs got out of the gates slow as has been the case most of the season, even falling behind 24-7 midway through the 1st.

The Dogs were down 39-25 at the half, but made a second half run and cut the lead to 73-70 with just under a minute left. They had an opportunity to tie but Eddie Miller’s 3 was off the mark.

Fresno State was led by Hector Hernandez, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds in what many consider his best outing of the season. Guards Kevin Bell and Eddie Miller both finished with 20 points, Bell added 5 assists and 5 steals while Miller shot 5-11 from 3.

Dwight O’Neil, in his 2nd game back from a wrist injury, played 24 minutes and finished with a made 3 point field goal and a crucial steal to set up the opportunity to tie. He is obviously out of shape and will need the remainder of the WAC schedule to return to a version closer to his original form.

What to look for:

Idaho is a formidable team at home and the Bulldogs are a bad road team. Mix those 2 issues together and you have difficult sledding ahead for Coach Cleveland and his squad. They will need to put the clamps on all-everything Vandal Jordan Brooks, make sure Mike Hall’s 3 point attempts are contested, and keep the turnovers to a minimum. On the flip side, the Dogs need to keep the pressure up on the turnover prone Vandals to create some easy opportunities for themselves.

MBs take:

Its close, the Dogs stay in it, Idaho turns the ball over to much down the stretch and Bell, Miller, and Hernandez all go for 18+ points. Its up to the rest of the guys to make up the difference.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

The Fresno State Bulldogs will play their second consecutive home game as the host the WACs best team right now in the Utah State Aggies. The Aggies have a 16-6 overall record and have a 6-1 conference mark. Their lone conference loss came on the road at the hands of New Mexico State 100-70. Aggies coach Stew Morril had disciplined 3 players for that game and did not allow them to play which added much to the outcome in Las Cruces.

The Dogs swept the season series last season, they were the only team on the Utah State schedule to win in Logan. Since the Aggies joined the WAC the Dogs have also had the best record against them, only one loss. The Aggies have won 11 of their last 12 games this season.

The Utah State Aggies coming in:

The Aggies enter off of 77-63 home victory over Nevada. Jaycee Carrol had 24 points and Gary Wilkinson had 23 points and 10 rebounds on 9 of 11 shooting from the field.

Senior Guard Jaycee Carroll leads the WAC with a 21.2 per game average, he leads in free throw shooting at 92.3%, and three point shooting at 50.4%. He also is eighth in overall shooting at 52.9% and averages 5.8 rebounds per game. One can surmise from this stat line that Carroll carries his team and if you want to slow the Aggies you must slow Carroll somehow.

Key Aggie Stats:

-49-18 in the month of February under Stew Morrill-USU is 14-0 when the opponent is under 70 points-leads WAC in free throw shooting at 78.6% (2nd in nation)-leads WAC in 3 point shooting at 39.9%-Shoots 50.5% from the field-18.8 assists per game-72.5 points per game-+2.8 rebounding margin-opponents have outscored Aggies 804-781 in the second half

The Dogs entering:

The Bulldogs stayed home in Fresno after their 70-58 win over Louisiana Tech. Junior Guard Dwight O’Neill returned to the court after a dislocated wrist he suffered in game 4 against CS-Bakersfield. It could help the Dogs in time but he will need to get back into playing shape and work off the rust in the coming weeks.

Against La Tech the Dogs were led by Kevin Bell who had 18 points and handed out 6 assists. Eddie Miller finished with 17 points on 5-10 3 point shooting, Miller has been spectacular from 3 at home in WAC play thus far.

Utah State is playing great basketball right now and it will be a huge task for the Dogs to win Thursday night. Expect the Aggies to get off to a great start and for Coach Cleveland to have to take a quick time out. If the Dogs can weather the early storm and feed off the home crowd they can stay in it.

Defense will be the key as the Aggie offense is finally clicking and they are running it to greater precision right now. It will take 40 points combined from Miller and Bell for the Dogs to have a shot, possibly 45. Two players need to be in the 6-8 point range and a few more key contributions off the bench will be necessary.

MBs take:

The Aggies are on a roll, although they have had a tough time in Fresno in the past. I say they jump out early, the Dogs reel them back in, Carroll takes over and the Dogs drop a tough one 73-71.

Monday, February 04, 2008

The Fresno State Bulldogs play their second Monday night game in a row tonight when they host the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech. Fresno State was able to open WAC play with a 61-44 win over Tech in Ruston and will look to sweep the season series and are looking to accomplish that feat for the second straight season.

La Tech entering:

The Bulldogs come into Fresno off a loss at Hawaii 71-57. Tech enters with an 0-7 WAC record and a 3-16 overall record. This has been a difficult season thus far, the Bulldogs do not have the depth to compete with most teams and are lacking the amount of talent necessary to stay in most games. The real bright spot for Tech has most definitely been guard Kyle Gibson. Gibson is averaging 15.5 points per game (only Bulldog in double figures) along with 5.6 rebounds. He is also shooting 35% from three.

Tech Team Stats:

-58.2 points per game (70.2 opp)-39.4% field goals (48.2% opp)-28.6 rebounds per game (38.1 opp)-8.1 assists per game (13.5 opp)-13.1 turnovers per game (13.8 opp)

Fresno State entering:

The Dogs come back home after the loss in Reno 79-67 and have dropped two straight, the first was the overtime heartbreaker at the hands of Boise State. Kevin Bell had 22 points and 5 rebounds in leading the Bulldogs. Eddie Miller added 17 points and 4 assists and the big surprise was freshman Brandon Webster who had career highs with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bulldogs once again fell behind early on the road, and against a team like Nevada that isn’t going to be an easy hole to dig out of. Marcellus Kemp dominated and couldn’t be stopped by the Dogs, he finished with 28 points. There were too many easy baskets for the Wolfpack while the Bulldogs missed a few too many easy opportunities. The Pack finished on 50% shooting from the field, 61% from three. Those numbers are difficult to overcome for any team, especially a shorthanded Bulldog squad.

What to look for:

Look for the Dogs to play well in the friendly confines of the Save Mart Center, guard Eddie Miller is averaging 28 points per game in WAC contests at home. They need to use this opportunity to get minutes for Webster and gain some confidence as a team. The key will be holding Tech swingman Kyle Gibson under wraps cause he is the key to the Tech’s success. Tyson Parker will get the start and will be matching up with Gibson.

MBs take:

Dogs shoot it well and break the losing streak, Miller with 24, Bell with 19 and 7 assists, Dogs win 74-61.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Many vehicles were shown at the Los Angeles Auto show a couple of months back. Early last month in the Detroit, the North American International Auto Show was home to several more reveals.

Yes, I am a month late. Sad huh? I only have 3 vehicles to highlight, one already going into production, one that needs to be in production, and one that probably will end up in production in one form or another.

#1 is the CTS Coupe Concept.The front end isn't a huge departure from the sedan, obviously the car is much lower, bigger wheels, and a few of other options that would never make production. I wonder what it will look like in production trim? Will there be a CTC-V?The interior also doesn't stray too far from the production sedan, albeit with a little more dress up as far as the seats and dash go. Hopefully the V-series comes with some flavor of the Carbon Fiber pictured above, man it looks sweet.Really a bad angle for the Concept. The rear quarter panel is odd, and the rear bumper looks very high up in the air. Not bad, just odd proportions.

#2 The Hummer HX Concept.A baby Hummer. Not a Mini-Me H2 like the H3 ended up looking(which isn't necessarily a bad thing).. This Concept is what Hummer has needed to build for a long time. How many years have we heard about them competing directly with the Jeep Wrangler?The concept seats 4, has a removeable glass hatch cover(not picture obviously) and has some pretty cool other options. Slap an H4 badge on this bitch and release it GM.

#3 The Cadillac Provoq Concept.This concept is built on the E-Flex Fuel cell platform. A platform showing off Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles usually means said vehicles would probably not be released. Never you mind, Cadillac merely used this to show the versatility of the platform, while showing off what very well may be their mini SUV. They have said they need an SUV smaller than the SRX(which is in need of a redesign).Supposedly inside and out this concept will look very similar when it comes to production for Cadillac, just don't expect a fuel cell.